“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4
When we speak words of faith and words that agree with the Bible, we build up our spirits.
“Perverseness” generally has come to mean “sexual perversity” in our culture. However, in the Scripture, the root Hebrew word is “celeph,” which means “distortion.” Any distortion of truth plays havoc with our spirits.
“Crushes the spirit” in other versions reads “a breach in the spirit.” (YLT, KJV)
Anything that tampers with our spirits is going to interfere with our ability to communicate with God. It will block hearing clearly from Him and allow deception to play a part in our decisions.
How do we keep our tongues wholesome?
We can start by speaking God’s truth about our situations. Where is that truth? It is found in God’s word. We must ingest the truth in God’s word regularly, just as we make certain we get our daily food. His truth is food for our spirits and guides us in all decisions.
We must be determined to line up our conversation with our prayers and God’s word.
What if I get a bad report from my doctor?
That report is a fact of living on this earth. But, do I have to receive it? My first thought must be, “What does God’s word say about it?”
The truth is
“…by His sickness we are healed.” (Isa 53:5) “… by whose wounds you were healed.” (II Peter 2:24b)
Jesus paid the price, not only for our salvation, but for our wholeness. Salvation actually means wholeness and includes our healing. We access it by faith, just as we did when we began to confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
This does not mean we spurn medicine. But, we also do not disregard God in our daily lives when illness comes.
“Roll onto the Lord your works and your thoughts will be established.” (Prov. 15:3 NKJV)
God instructs us to roll the care of any illness or other bad report on Him. When we obey that instruction, we pave the way in our spirits for God to work in our thought life.
He will let us know which physician to visit, or what lifestyle change to make. He has the wisdom for our complete healing if we don’t contaminate our spirits with perverse speaking.
Whatever you are facing, whether it is illness, pain, debt, tragedy, or other calamity, let your mouth bring clarity to your situation by speaking God’s truth. He will guide you and give wisdom for every step. You need only to ask Him!
Leave a Reply